now it's time to run
by Cookies and Ink
Summary: Theo did not expect the night to go like this.


**A/N**: This fic was written for Round 4 of QLFC's 7th season. I'm Chaser 3 for the Montrose Magpies. Any and all prompts used will be listed at the bottom. Thanks and hope you enjoy.

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**now it's time to run**

Theo found the theme of his parent's party in rather poor taste.

_Death Eaters and Dragons._

With the Wizarding Britain on the brink of descending into chaos, thanks to Dumbledore, Potter, and his merry band of Gryffindors declaring so openly to the Wizarding that the Dark Lord was back, this party felt risky. Idiotic, some might say. It was as though his parents wanted to Ministry to come in and haul everyone to Azkaban. That being said, the guests had truly gone all out. Women, in all shades of black ball gowns and decorated with silver jewellery, whilst that men wore black robes and silver ties. Almost everyone had dark masks over their eyes and in some people's cases covering their whole face.

It was only the children at the party and the occasional eccentric old lady who chose to embrace the dragon theme. Children trailed faux-flames behind them and Theo's eyes had lingered too long on an old lady wearing a long dress of blue-green material that looked like scales.

He hadn't been able to bring himself to chose the Death Eater option himself, though his father would have approved. Instead, he'd charmed two curled horns to protrude from his head, and worn a shimmering waistcoat of a deep red. He'd left his room just before the first guests had arrived, not allowing his father any time to give him more than a simple glare. Of course, he would make his displeasure known later, when the guests had gone home.

Theo had already had enough of schmoozing the guests and plating the dutiful host's son by about an hour into the party. He slipped away as people got more drunk, more handsy. Finding himself a quiet corner of the ballroom, Theo gazed out into the dark garden. He squared his shoulders slightly, making himself look as unapproachable as he possibly could.

This party would last long into the night. He would have to be present for all of it; he wouldn't give his father the pleasure of punishing him for not doing so.

Just five minutes away from everyone and he would force himself to go back into the crowd. If he could just get through one long, long night then he could return to Hogwarts early, under the guise of having a lot of homework to do.

He was just psyching himself up to return to the main crowd when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Now normally, at school, this wasn't an action to be concerned about, but here at home, things were different. He jolted. Twisting on the spot, Theo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but as his eyes came into focus the found that the person standing behind him was none other than Blaise Zabini.

"Did I scare you?" he grinned.

Theo's eyes swept the room behind Blaise, his eyes falling on his father talking to a group on the other side of the room before he found the words to respond to Blaise's question. "I reserve actual terror for only the most special of occasions."

"So a little scared," Blaise said simply, "but not wet-yourself terror."

"Idiot." Theo rolled his eyes skyward and then pushed Blaise away slightly, who looked back to the guests.

"This is a peculiar theme," Blaise said.

"I see you didn't opt for either suggestion," Theo responded pointedly.

"No, I didn't." Blaise let a smirk cross his face, eyes sparkling as his eyes flickered up to Theo's horns. "You make an adorable dragon."

"Fuck off," Theo said, pausing and then changing the topic. "You could have told me you were coming before I tried to convince my father to let me go back to Hogwarts sooner."

Balise narrowed his eyes slightly. Theo felt himself grow hot as his friend inspected his appearance; Blaise always knew when something was wrong, and for Theo, something was always wrong. Next thing he knew, his friend had reached out and caught his chin. Turning his face to the side, Blaise exposed the fading yellow bruise on Theo's jawline. Their gazes met briefly and then Theo pulled back.

"What else has he done to you?"

Blaise had always been protective. Ever since Theo had come back in the first year after Christmas at home with a split lip, Blaise had known even though Theo never said it out loud. He didn't dare let Blaise know about the scars on his black and the burns he'd acquired just a few days ago.

"Drop it," Theo said, straightening up. If his father overheard this, if he in any way found out that Theo had even hinted to Blaise how he was treated, it would only end badly. "This is not the time or the place."

Blaise appeared to think about it for a moment and then held his hands up. "I'll drop it."

"Good," Theo said quickly, stepping aside to move past him when he realised his father was looking across at them, his gaze even, calculating.

To his surprise, Blaise spoke again. "I'll drop it if you leave with me tonight and never come back here."

Theo's gaze snapped back to his friend, hoping that Blaise would be grinning, obviously joking, but he wasn't. His face was set seriously, his voice had been monotone, and for a moment it had felt like it might be just as easy as walking out the door.

Only it wasn't.

"Theodore," a voice called out. "Theodore, a moment of your time."

"I'll speak to you later," Theo said quietly, walking away before Blaise could speak again.

Hoping that this would be brief, Theo walked over to his father who, to the unsuspecting eye looked as though he was calling Theo for something completely amicable, but he knew better than to trust that expression. The smile never reached his eyes. Theodore Snr pulled Theo against him, his grip vice-like, though no one would have known because Theo smiled and played the game like he'd been doing all his life, hiding his discomfort. In public, he was the perfect son. On target for all Outstandings in his OWLs; best Quidditch player on the Slytherin team; well-respected, well-loved by his year mates.

At home, behind closed doors, he wasn't perfect. He would never be perfect.

When the conversation came to a natural conclusion, Theo expected to be able to slip away again, but his father's grip didn't loosen. Instead, he excused them both and led Theo away from the party, down a corridor off-limits to the guests. As soon as they were out of sight, his father's fist collided with Theo's stomach.

Theo doubled over, wheezing for breath, wondering what he could possibly have done wrong.

His father pinned him to the wall and Theo made no attempt to fight as his father's fingers wrapped around his neck. He was squeezing just enough to constrict Theo's breathing just a little.

"You little─" his father began to speak, only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

Immediately, his father retracted his hand and both of them looked towards the source of the sound. Theo's eyes widened at the sight of Blaise. He was about to open his mouth, to tell Blaise that this wasn't the time, to tell him to basically _fuck off_, but Theo's eyes instead fell to the wand gripped in his friend's hand. Blaise's arm snapped up and cast before anything could be done, or said. His father's wand wasn't even drawn; there was no opportunity to defend himself. Everything happened so fast that Theo hadn't even moved from where he was pressed up against the wall as his father slumped to the floor.

"I won't ask again, Theo," Blaise said simply, pocketing his wand. "Run."

"But Blaise─Blaise, I c─" Theo began.

"─can leave my abusive father?" Blaise suggested.

"Blaise." Theo let his friend's name leave his mouth as a defeated whisper; his head spinning with all the ways this could go wrong. "Blaise, I─"

His father groaned on the floor, shifting slightly, as though he were coming round.

"Theo, come on. You don't need this; you can't stay here." Blaise actually looked concerned for once especially as Theo's father hand reached out for his ankle. "Fucking run, Theo."

And he did. He had to get Blaise out of here before his father could hurt him─before things went to shit. He'd have to fix this all later, but first of all, he had to get Blaise out of this house and as far away as possible. Theo dodged his father's outstretched hand, grabbed his friend's wrist and pulled him the opposite way down the corridor.

"Theodore!" His father's voice roared behind them as Theo jerked Blaise into the kitchen and towards the fireplace. "Get back here!"

Snatching up some Floo Powder, the container smashed at their feet and Blaise nearly stumbled. Theo's heart was in his throat as he tossed the powder to the floor of the fireplace. Green flames erupted around them and Theo couldn't hear what Blaise said, but the world started spinning just as soon as he spoke. Clinging to Blaise's arm, he realised they were alone─that no one else had made it into the Floo with them.

And when they hit the floor of another home, Theo felt the relief wash through him.

They were safe for now.

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**A/N:** My main prompt was: "This is a peculiar theme", to be used as dialogue and inspiration.

Optional Prompts used: (song) Run Boy Run by Woodkid, (quote) 'I reserve actual terror for only the most special of occasions.' - Monstress, Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda, (action) Hide


End file.
